Page 101 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost
Vanessa sinks lower in her chair. "Mom, he'll hear you."
"What did she say?" I ask, already halfway through the purple dessert.
Vanessa sighs. "She says you watch me like a sniper watches a target."
The table grows quiet, waiting for my response. I place my fork down with deliberate care.
"More like a bodyguard watches his principle. The target is whoever threatens her."
A beat of silence, then the table erupts with approval. Mr. Reyes nods once, the smallest acknowledgment of respect.
As the meal progresses, Miguel mentions a case from his emergency room. I recognize my opening.
"I'd actually love to hear more about your medical work."
Miguel gestures toward the kitchen. "Want to help bring out more lumpia? Mom made enough to feed an army."
I nod, recognizing the pretext. The kitchen offers better strategic positioning—clearer sight lines, fewer people, controlled entry points.
"So," Miguel starts once we're alone, keeping his voice low as he opens the oven. "Military or private security?"
I arrange spring rolls on a serving plate, measuring exact distances between each. "Security consulting."
"Thought so." He nods. "The way you position yourself between Nessa and the door. Very distinctive training patterns."
"Hard habits to break," I admit, choosing my words carefully.
Miguel's eyes narrow slightly as he checks we're still alone. "I've been treating some women at the ER. Young, disoriented, with unusual medical signs. IV marks, identical placement on each victim."
My fingers pause on the plate. The information clicks into place like assembling a rifle.
"All share the same needle pattern and identical drug mixtures in their blood," he continues. "Custom sedative combinations I rarely see. Restraint marks on their wrists and ankles, but neat and calculated."
"Human trafficking," I state, not a question.
Miguel nods. "That's my guess. These aren't typical overdoses. Someone with medical training is handling these women."
I keep my expression neutral while my mind races, connecting this to Tatiana Ivanov and the Vertex operation.
"Speaking of precision," Miguel adds, "had an interesting patient last month. Security type, like you. Had distinctive defensive knife wounds. Said his attacker was 'an elegant British man with surgical precision.'"
My heartbeat quickens, even as my breath remains steady and controlled. Markus Steele. The British operative who Kade eliminated after connecting him to Jenny's murder. If he had associates still operating...
"I could get you anonymized medical reports," Miguel offers, opening a cabinet. "Might help identify victims in similar situations."
"That would be useful." I position myself to block his view from the dining room. "Any unknown drugs in the tests?"
"Several. Custom pharmaceuticals not in standard databases."
"Miguel," I say quietly, "you mentioned these cases to Vanessa before, didn't you?"
He nods, then his expression darkens. "She's been asking me for updates every few days since I first told her. Wants to know if I've seen more victims, what their conditions were." He pauses. "My sister goes all in on everything. She's already trying to find patterns in the cases I mentioned."
I understand his concern immediately. Vanessa's protective instincts combined with her technical skills make her dangerous to ignore any injustice she discovers.
"She's been cross-referencing medical databases, hasn't she?" I ask.
"Probably. That's why I wanted to talk to you directly. If there's more to this than random trafficking..." He trails off, studying my expression. "You're not just doing corporate security consulting, are you?"
